NATO: Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society: Integrated Water Management

Country: EU Projects

Start Date:Duration:Project Type: Network

Contract Number:

Organisation Type:
Agency, regulator or other governmental or inter-governmental body

Topics:
Water resources and their management -->Water resources and their management Overview

Project objectives:

The pilot study will address to specific issues, requiring an integrated approach. Therefore the pilot study participants will work alternately during plenary meetings and in working groups. The working groups will be organized according the agreements made on the first workshop.
Each working group will stress on given topics, taking into consideration possible common grounds with other working groups. Case studies and theoretical research will be subject of discussion. Participants can belong to research institutes, universities, governmental authorities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Exchange of information and discussions will mainly take place during workshops. The pilot study will last three years. Two workshops a year will be organised, combining plenary and working group activities. Additionally each working group will meet at least once a year (schematic overview in figure below).

Project
Summary:

The main objective of the pilot study is exchanging and combining expertise in water system research, considering different dimensions of water management and their intra and inter relations. The dimension Integration of knowledge represents the required competences; it includes natural scientific as well as social and economical aspects, considered as basic information about the functioning of water systems and the chains of the water users. The Organizational Integration dimension concerns all relevant competences and participation of stakeholders and means an important support for the efficiency of the water management. The Legislative basis dimension is the regulating basic framework including and combining all legal aspects.
The knowledge brought together by means of the pilot study, has to contribute to the knowledge of Integrated Water Management in general, including differentiation for different types of basins or watersheds. Therefore theoretical studies on the functioning of water systems as well as cases will be discussed.
Expected outcome of the pilot study
Criteria to assess a water system, stressing on indicators defining the carrying capacity and stressing on combination of tools.
Methods and guidelines for the development of basin plans.
Methods to calculate 'real' price, considering also the quality of ecosystems and dealing with regional differentiation.
Overview of difficulties met, due to transboundary aspects and guidelines for solutions and the role of international committees.